When launching a new product or service to reach a new customer base, getting your launch right from the start is a vital task. 88% of users say they are less likely to return to a site following a bad experience. Conducting research early and often throughout development and ahead of a product launch can ensure you set out on the right foot.
A global Fortune 100 freight & logistics company asked us:
Who are the potential customers of our newest mobile and desktop service offering?
What unmet needs might it address, and how can we improve it prior to launch?
We answered:
Our client came to AnswerLab for help conducting UX research to:
- identify and profile potential customers for this new service
- define the unmet user needs it might address and solve for
- get reactions to an early prototype from the target audience
AnswerLab recommended a two-phase mixed methods approach to address our client’s business questions, starting with identifying the potential customer base and following up with target users to get reactions and feedback on the prototype.
Phase 1: Quantitative Survey
For the first phase, we relied on quantitative research with an online survey to profile potential customers, determine pain points with existing alternatives, and understand use cases for the new service.
Phase 2: Qualitative In-Depth Interviews
Once we had identified the key customer segments through and how they might use the product in the quantitative phase, we followed up with a qualitative, lab-based approach to get a deeper understanding of these market segments. This enabled us to understand the “why” behind the delights and pain points discovered in the survey and to assess reactions to a prototype of the new service.
Outcome:
The client relied on our research to determine and validate the right feature set and design requirements for a new streamlined product to allow for fast and simple shipping across both web and mobile platforms. The research identified the right target audience for the service, and drove the marketing and communication plan to increase adoption and engagement.
We also delivered insights beyond the digital product we researched—we were able to surface how the customer experience at brick-and-mortar locations impacted perceptions and behavior when engaging with the brand and fed a larger strategy that considered physical environments for the service.
